ain't

American  

[eynt] / eɪnt /

1. Nonstandard except in some dialects. contraction of am not; are not; is not.

2. Nonstandard. contraction of have not; has not; do not; does not; did not.

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ain't British  

/ eɪnt /

contraction

1. am not, is not, are not, have not, or has not

   I ain't seen it

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Usage

As a substitute for am not, is not, and are not in declarative sentences, ain't is more common in uneducated speech than in educated, but it occurs with some frequency in the informal speech of the educated, especially in the southern and south-central states. This is especially true of the interrogative use of ain't I? as a substitute for the formal and—to some—stilted am I not? or for aren't I?, considered by some to be ungrammatical, or for the awkward—and rare in American speech— amn't I? Some speakers avoid any of the preceding forms by substituting Isn't that so ( true, the case ) ? Ain't occurs in humorous or set phrases: Ain't it the truth! She ain't what she used to be. It ain't funny. The word is also used for emphasis: That just ain't so! It does not appear in formal writing except for deliberate effect in such phrases or to represent speech. As a substitute for have not or has not and—occasionally in Southern speech— do not, does not, and did not, it is nonstandard except in similar humorous uses: You ain't heard nothin' yet! See also aren't.

Etymology

Origin of ain't

First recorded in 1770–80; variant of amn't (contraction of am not ) by loss of m and raising with compensatory lengthening of a; aren't

Example Sentences

"But Jadon just wasn't seeing it. He said, 'I ain't apologising because if I do, I'm apologising for being lazy, always being late, not giving my best'."

From BBC

So if you can, please keep your hands to yourself, because the juice ain’t worth the squeeze.

From Salon

In a second video played to the inquiry, Christopher could be heard saying "I just want to go" and "he ain't gonna let me leave for some reason".

From BBC

“This ’ere straw ain’t for no stables.

From Literature

The historic nor’easter that’s pounded every state from Maine to West Virginia may finally be over, but the cleanup certainly ain’t.

From Slate